“I’m encouraged by the ability of art to build communities and increase awareness of social/political issues that advocate for change. I’m excited to be participating in a few this January.
Currently exhibiting in Human Impact at Fuller Craft Museum is my installation Once Was, a memorial to those lost from the opioid epidemic. A 12-foot tall, 2-sided tower is covered with 3600 poppies, each one representing 200 individuals who died from opioid related causes since 1999. Stay tuned to WGBH TV’s Open Studio in January to see the interview by Jared Bowen.
Over winter term, as part of a Social Justice curriculum, I’ll be working with 80 young women from Malden Catholic Codivisional High School. We will be stitching banners to raise awareness about 25 million refugees who exist globally, while discussing social justice themes and how they relate to the cause. The final pieces will be included in the larger exhibit 25 Million Stitches, a brainchild of artist Jen Kim Sohn in California.
The social engagement Full Circle at Cary Memorial Library in Lexington MA, is a collaborative public art installation that considers the politics and social contexts of mending as an expression of compassion and repair. We begin with a framed 8-foot circular canvas to be embellished by visitors who will patch, repurpose, stitch, and add personal items that will ultimately represent a compelling rendition of Earth and community as we bring value and use back to fabric.
Visit my blog for the program of events and to learn more about the project: http://jodi-colella-39mb.squarespace.com/material-and-process
Please join me for a gallery talk about Yayoi Kusama at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston on Sunday, January 12 at 2 pm. “
-Jodi Colella